How to improve sports performance? Read about psych-up techniques in sports.

Athletes in the same competitive situation can experience different changes in intensity. For example, when within sight of winning, one athlete may have an increase in intensity and feel very nervous because she’s never defeated her opponent before and doesn’t totally believe that she can this time. While another athlete in the same situation might have a decrease in intensity and feel a letdown because she’s already mentally in the locker room thinking about her next competition.

The answer is simple. The best athletes have done hard work and put hours and hours of practice into it. There is no gene, which makes you automatically good at volleyball or basketball. It is all done by countless of repetitions.

Of course, there are exceptions to the rule, but generally speaking, there’s really no such a thing as overnight success.

Let’s put it another way, if you want to learn new skills or shift careers – whatever you want to accomplish – you can expect another 10,000 hours of hard work.

Staying focused is important for athletes – but what should I focus on?

You shouldn’t just repeat the mantra “stay focused” – you need to have specific things to focus on.

For example when the volleyball player practices skills, she should try to keep her thoughts in the correct form – so she learns to visualize the skill. When you learn to visualize the correct form, it helps you to repeat the skill correctly one after another.

Prime confidence keeps you positive, motivated, intense, focused, and emotionally in control when you need it most. With prime confidence, you’re able to stay confident even when you’re not performing well (it happens to even the best athletes periodically).

3. Adversity ingrains confidence.
Practice under challenging conditioning – when you are tired or there is windy while playing outdoors. Try to see those conditions as a challenge, which give you motivation instead of anxiety.

4. Support bolsters confidence.
Have people around you who support and encourage you in the times of adversity. There will be times when things are not going so well.

In his explanation of flow, there are several components in the process:
1. Completely involved, focused, concentrating – with this either due to innate curiosity or as the result of training
2. Sense of ecstasy – of being outside everyday reality
3. Great inner clarity – knowing what needs to be done and how well it is going
4. Knowing the activity is doable – that the skills are adequate, and neither anxious or bored
5. Sense of serenity – no worries about self, feeling of growing beyond the boundaries of ego – afterwards feeling of transcending ego in ways not thought possible
6. Timeliness – thoroughly focused on present, don’t notice time passing
7. Intrinsic motivation – whatever produces “flow” becomes its own reward
(Source: Austega.com)

Prime confidence keeps you positive, motivated, intense, focused, and emotionally in control when you need it most. With prime confidence, you’re able to stay confident even when you’re not performing well (it happens to even the best athletes periodically).

3. Adversity ingrains confidence.
Practice under challenging conditioning – when you are tired or there is windy while playing outdoors. Try to see those conditions as a challenge, which give you motivation instead of anxiety.

4. Support bolsters confidence.
Have people around you who support and encourage you in the times of adversity. There will be times when things are not going so well.